Registering and indicating device for watches.



PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

T. H. WATSON. REGISTERING AND INDIOATING DEVICE FOR WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1902.

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BATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

T. H. WATSON. REGISTERING AND INDICATING DEVICE FOR WATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 13, 1902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. WATSON, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed January 13, 1902. Serial No. 89,637.

To aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Registering and Indicating Means for l/Vatches, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which drawings like characters of reference indicate the same parts. I

My invention relates to registering and indicating means for watches and analogous or other mechanism; and some of its objects are to provide two or more sets of time-indicating hands, one of which cannot be manipu lated so that railway engineers and others requiring accurate time and timepieces may not be able to wholly rectify their time-indications after an accident due to their inaccurate time, as well as to enable the inspector to rectify or displace inaccurate timepieces to lessen the possibility of accident therefrom; also to provide means attached to and preferably within the casing of a watch, whereby an engineer, a nurse, watchman, or other person required to periodically perform some service may so operate said means upon said watch or a clock that will indicate that such person performed or was capable of performing such periodical service, and also to provide means attached to and preferably within the casing of a watch, whereby registrations and indications may be manually effected.

My invention consists in such means and in the constructions, combinations, and arrangements of the parts, all as described in full in the specification and briefed in each of the appended claims.

In the drawings, illustrating the means that I regard as the most simple and coin- .mercially practical for practicing my invention, Figure 1 an enlarged plan view of a watch en'ibodying my invention, the lid or bezel and the dial and hands being removed for clearness. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line X X of Fig. 1 and. including the parts omitted therelrom. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view, on a different scale from said former views, of the entire watch-movement embodying my invention and removed from the casing. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the indicating hands for the registering means. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation view on line X X. of Fig. 1

and including a section of the upper portion of one of the registering-wheels. Fig. 6 is an enlarged bottom plan. view of a Watch-movement embodying my invention, a portion of the frame thereof in which the spring-barrel has a bearing being removed, a part of the balance-wheel being broken, and a portion of the spring-barrel bein broken away to show the spring therein. Fig. 7 is a sectional View substantially on line Y Y of Fig. 1, but magnified in thickness, the balance and es capement wheels and part of their train being not shown for clearness of illustration; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the repeat ing-preventing means, as well as the control' ling-cam.

In said drawings the base-plate A of the watch-movement has the usual bottom plate 10 and between which plates is mounted the watch-train, of which spring 12 in barrel 1.1 is the motive power. The spring-barrel carries a wheel 13, meshing with pinions 14: and 15, the former rigid upon the central or hand supporting-arbor 16 and the latter rigid. upon an independent arbor IE, both of which arbors project through the dial-plate F, secured at its edges to an annular rib f upon plate A. Rigid upon arbor 16 is a gear 18, which is the driver of the escapement-wheel train, (not shown,) which drives the balance-wheel 19, Fig. 6. Upon arbor 16 are telescoped the sleeves B and C, respectively, for the minute and hour hands 20 and 2 respectively. Said sleeves B and C, respectively, have the usual driving-gears 22 and 23, Fig. '7, respcctively meshing with integral pinion. 24. and gear 25, so as to move in. their relative ratios, sleeve B being a portion. of and movable with the cannon-pinion and driven by frictional contact with arbor 16 in the usual manner, the minute and hour ha ds 20 and 21 being frictioi'ially mounted upon their respective sleeves and may be manually moved relatively to their sleeves o v may be manually set by the usual stein-set means, usually connected at will with gear Plate A is recessed on. its top side, substantially as shown. in Figs. 2 and '7, and i u. said recessed. space is fulerumed by screw or rivet G, a lever II projecting at one end through slots in said rib f and in the casing, and near its opposite end said lever has pivoted thereto a pawl I, ei'igaging with ratchet registeringwheel J, preferably mounted concentric with and free .from frictional engagement with sleeve C, said wheel J having a bearing in the dial F. Spring 7', engaging said pawl I. and preferably mounted upon lever H, maintains the relative engagement of pawl I and wheel J.

The inner end of lever H is provided with a projection h, projecting into a notchic, formed,

near one endof a supplemental operating-lever H, fulcrumed upon a screw or rivet h, mounted in said plate A, the opposite end of said lever H being provided with a projection H adapted to contact at will with the face or periphery of wheel H mounted upon and revolved by said arbor E. Said supplemental operating-lever H controls and limits the operation of lever H by preventing the operation of lever H sufliciently to cause a registration when portion H of lever H is riding upon the periphery of said wheel H as shown in Fig. 1, while the bottom of the notch H, formed in said" lever H, is adapted to be engaged by projection H of lever H'to limit the movement of said lever H in the opposite direction or back of its initial position. Said lever H being thus limited in its movement in both directions, said lever H can only be operated sufiiciently to cause pawl I to register one notch upon wheel J only when notch H in wheel H registers with projection H of supplemental lever H by reason of the fact that only in such position of the parts can lever H be moved sufiiciently to cause said registration. This movement of lever H in enabling registration to be made moves its notch H? out of the path of projection H of lever H, and thus prevents the making of more than one registration each time a notch H permits the operation of supplemental le ver'H sufficiently to cause lever H to make a registration. Said notch H being out of the path of projection H of lever H locks said lever H away from and prevents its being returned to normal-position, at which normal position its pawl I engages with the next tooth upon the wheel J. It will thus be seen that manual operations may be made at intervals predetermined by the number and location of the notches H in wheel H and that by the means described such manual operations are adapted to produce registrations.

To indicate the accuracy of the timepiece and place it beyond the control of the operator to obliterate such record of possible'inaccuracy and at the same time to prevent an operator from excusing himself from making such periodical operations by stating that the watch stopped and only ran so long during the period in which such operations were required to be performed, I have provided an independent set of time-indicating hands incapable of being set or mani ulated except by reassembling the watch, i that be possible. This set of independent time-indicating hands are constructed and operated as follows: Wheel N, preferably a ratchet, is mounted in suitable bearings upon plate A adjacent to and above the plane of wheel H having projection or notch 0, adapted to engage with one of the teeth of wheel N at each revolution, so that wheel N is moved a definite distance at each revolution of wheel H driven by the watch or clock train. Retaining-pawls P and J, respectively engage wheels N and J and prevent their retrograde move ment, said pawls being pressed by springs P and J respectively.

Concentric with and free from frictional contact with the seconds-hand arbor D, Fig. 1, is mounted a ratchet registering-wheel-L, engaged by operating-pawl L, fulcrumed upon lever H and maintained in such engagement by spring L said wheel L being held from backward movement by retaining-pawl L pressed by spring L, said wheel L being moved one notcn for every complete-operation of lever H, as heretofore explained for wheel J Said ratchet-wheels J, L, and N are each provided with hubs R, projecting 'above the dial-plate F and are each adapted to receive an indicating-hand S, and to compel said hands being returned to the same relative positions when removed from said hubs R ,1 form in each of said hubs R a slot R and mount in the hub of each of said hands S a in S, so that said pins fit in said slots. The

i and S driven by wheel J is provided with a row T of graduations and numbers upon dial F, preferably in the countersunk portion thereof. Hand S, driven by wheel L, is provided with a row of graduations U and hand ,S, driven by wheel N, is provided with a row of graduations V, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 7,) while the hour, minute, and seconds hands are each provided with rows of-graduations and numbers to designate their respective positions.

In order to cover up the slot through which the outer end of lever H projects to prevent dust and other particles from getting into the. watch-movement, I provide said lever H with a supplemental outer end W, having a tongue W, slidably fitting into a slot W in said lever H, while a screw W binds said tongue to said lever in such position that the arc-shaped portion W on said end W contacts with the periphery of the watch-casing adjacent said slot, while the central projec tion W of portion W serves as the operating projection of said lever H. Should the frictional contact between lever H and its fulcrum screw or rivet h be insuflicient to maintain it in the various positions to which it maybe moved by lever H, aspring Yis mounted to bear against said lever H, and in the instance shown said spring presses said lever H lightly against wheel H Wheel J may be set or operated to different positions when desired by an independent or supplemental operating mechanism consisting, in the instance shown, of a lever K, fulcrumed to plate A by screw or rivet K Near one end of lever K is mounted a pawl K engaging with the teeth of wheel J and retained in position by spring K of suitable construction and mounting, while near the opposite end of lever K is fulcrumed one end of an operating-rod K, passing through slots in said rib f and the watch-casing, and at a point beyond said casing said rod K terminates with a lateral projection K for conveniently pulling out upon said rod K to operate pawl K to actuate wheel J, and by re eated alternate pushing and pulling upon ro K the wheel J may be set to any desired position, as well as repeated operations at about the same time registered and indicated. By differently positioning pins K relatively to the opposite ends of lever K the movement of lever K may be adjusted, so that wheel J may be moved one or more notches at each operation, as may be desired, and by dispensing with pawl I the wheel J becomes a tally, manually operated only by red K When it is desired to prevent the operation of rod K, except for a limited time after lever H has been operated suflicientl y to make a registration, as aforesaid, a lug K is formed upon lever H and in the path of the adjacent end of lever K, so that lever K is only free to pass said lug K and rod K free to be operated when lever H is in the position where its operation may produce a registration, in which position said lever H is adapted to remain mitil projection H of lever H nears the top of notch H in wheel H From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided neat, simple, and compact means Within the casing of a watch for effecting registrations and indications of operations or events manually and at predetermined intervals when desired, and at the same time the independent non-settable timeindieating hands places a check upon the opera tor and indicates any incorrectness in the periodical registrations, as well as furnishes an indication of the correctness or incorrectness of the watch during periods which it may be out of the hands of a watch-maker or repairer, as such indications can only be corrooted to agree with the proper time when in his hands for correcting the watch when it gets incorrect, and that thereby many liabilities to accidents and delays may be avoided, as with the timepieces with which I am familiar their inaccuracies are concealed by frequent setting 01 the hands (by the stem-setting means) bei'ore inspections and time comparisons to avoid condemnation of their time, pieces and the expense of new ones.

So far as I am aware I am the first in the art to mount a registering and. indicating mechanism upon a watch and within the cas ing thereof, as well as to provide means whereby registrations may be effected only at intervals predetermined by the watchmovement; as well as to provide means whereby, when. desired, the repeating of said registrations may be prevented except at intervals, which intervals may be those predetermined by the watch-movement as well as to provide a watch with a plurality of sets of independent time-indicating hands, one of which sets being non-settable except bya Watchmaker or repairer, and by reason thereof the claims for my said invention should be given a correspondingly broad scope and liberal interpretation.

Having now so fully described my invention that others skilled in the art of watch and clock making may freely make and use the same after this exclusive grant shall cease to operate, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a continuously operable timepiece, a member driven thereby, registering mechanism, means independent of said timepiece for manually actuating said registering mechanism, and means whereby said member permits said manual registration only at predetermined intervals of time and without affecting saidtimepiece, sub stantially as specified.

' 2. The combination of a continuously operable timepiece, a member driven thereby proportionate to the time, registering mech anism, an actuator for said registering mechanism and independent of said timepiece and extending adjacent to said member, and means upon said member for permitting the manual operation of said registering mechanism but once for each predetermined interval of time in and without affecting the running of said timepiece, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a timepiece, a mem ber driven thereby proportionate to the time, hands for said timepiece driven thereby over a correspondingly-marked dial, registering mechanism, an indicatii'ig-hand concentric with one of the timepiece-hands and driven by said registering mechanism, graduations for said registering-hand, means for manually actuating said registering mechanism, and means including said .member for per mitting the actuation oi" said registering mechanism only at predetermined. intervals substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a timepiece, a mem ber driven thereby proportionate to the time, a plurality of independent registering mechanisms, a single actuating means for said registering mechanisms, means including said member for pern'iitting said actuating means to aflect a registration at predetermined intervals, and independent supplemental actuating means for one of said plurality of registering mechanisms, substantially as specified.

5. In a timepiece, the combination with a member driven by the timepiece, registering mechanism, manual operating means for said registering mechanism, means including said member for permitting a registration only at predetermined intervals, indicating mechanism for said registering mechanism, supplementalindicatmg mechamsm, and means .actuated by the timepiece for actuating said said actuating means and said member, a co- 1' operating pro ection and recess carried by said lever and said member, recesses H and 7c in said lever adapted to cooperate respectively with projections H and h of said actuating means, substantially as specified.

7. In a timepiece, the combination of the time-indicating mechanism, independent registering and indicating mechanism mounted upon said timepiece, a lever fulcrumed upon said timepiece-frame, means intermediate said lever and registering and indicating mechanism for actuating the latter, a member driven by the timepiece, a supplemental lever intermediate said lever and member, a cooperating projection and recess carried by said supplemental lever and said member, a plurality of separated and cooperating recesses and projections carried by said levers, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of a timepiece, ordinary and supplemental time indicatin means driven thereby, means whereby said ordinaryindicating means may be manipulated, means whereby said supplemental means. cannot be manipulated, registering.

means, and operating means controlled by said timepiece .whereby said registering means may be periodically operated without affecting said timepiece, substantially as specified.

9. The combination-of a timepiece, aplurality ofindependent sets of time-indicating hands each including minute and hour hands, independent driving means between the minute and hour hands of each of said sets of hands, means whereby one of said minutehands is frictionally driven by said time piece, means whereby another of said minute-hands is positively driven by said timepiece, registering means, operating means for said registering means, and means controlled by said timepiece whereby said operating means may periodically operate said registering means, substantially as specified.

10. The combination of a watchcase, a watch-movement therein, time-indicating means for said watch-movement, registering mechanism within said case, indicating means for said registering mechanism visible simultaneously with said time-indicating means, means projecting from said case for operating said registering mechanism, and

means controlled by said watch-movement for preventing the operation of said registering mechanism by said operating means except at predetermined intervals and without affecting the operation of said watch-movement, substantially as specified.

11. The combination of a watchcase, a Watch-movement therein, time-indicating means for said watch-movement, registering mechanism within said case, indicating means for said registering mechanism visible simultaneously with said time indicating means, means for operating said registering mechanism, means driven by said watchmovement for periodically preventing the operation of said means foroperating said registering mechanism, a slot or opening in said case through which said means for operating said registering mechanism is operable, said slot being in a plane occupied by the joint between the body of said watchcase and its lid or bezel, substantially as specified.

v12. The combination of a watchcase, a continuously operable watch movement therein, time-indicating means for said watch movement, registering mechanism within said watchcase and independent of said watch-movement, indicating means for said registering mechanism, means driven by said watch-movement for preventing the operation of said operating means only at predetermined intervals of time, and means whereby the repeated operation of said operating means without intermission is prevented, substantially as specified. 13. The combination of a watchcase, continuously operable watch movement therein, time indicating means for said watch movement, registering mechanism within said case and independent of said watch-movement, indicating means for said registering mechanism, means independent of said watch-movement for operating said registering mechanism, and means actuated by and in afiecting the operation of said watch-movement for preventing the ,opera-' tion of said operating means except at predetermined intervals, substantially as specified.

14. The combination of a watchcase, a watch movement therein, time indicating means for said watch-movement, registering mechanism within said case, indicating means for said registering mechanism, means for operating said registering mechanism, means actuated by said watch-movement for preventing the operation of said operating means except at predetermined intervals, and a third means intermediate said other two means for permitting but a single operation of said registering mechanism at each of said predetermined intervals, substantially as specified.

15. The combination of operating member H, supplemental member H, relatively movable member H, having a portion engaged by the operation of said member H, and said member H having portions adapted to engage said member H, whereby but one operation of said member H is permitted at each cooperation of said operations of members H and H, substantially as specified.

16. The combination of operating member H, havin separated projections h and H a fulcrumed member H having recesses 7c and H extending different directions from the fulcrum of said member H, a projection between said recesses 7c and H; a relatively movable member H having a recess H,

said fulcrumed member H having a projection H adapted to engage said relatively- -movable member H and its recess H, and

said projections h and H of said operating member being adapted to engage respectively in said recesses 7r and H of said fulcrumed member H, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, this November 5, 1901, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS H. WVATSON. Witnesses:

A. J. KREHBIEL, IRA C. KoEnNE. 

